This invention relates to an automobile door mirror. More particularly, the invention relates to a door mirror constructed by providing a positioning member on a shaft serving as a rotating shaft of a body mirror in an electrically driven housing type mirror or foldable type mirror adapted to turn the mirror body between an erected position (i.e., a position when in use) and a housed position (i.e., a folded position).
An automobile door mirror has a configuration in which a mirror body is attached to a mirror base projecting from an outer plate of a vehicle. Recent door mirrors ordinarily employ a configuration in which a mirror body is driven in such a manner as to rotate around a spindle between the used position (i.e., a neutral position) and the housed position. When placed in the housed position, or when having a configuration adapted so that when an external force or shock is applied to the mirror body, the mirror body is folded forward or backward to thereby avoid a shock force being applied thereto.
Hitherto, generally, an angle restriction at the time of housing (i.e., folding) or returning the mirror body is performed by providing a stopper on the shaft of the mirror body in such a way as to be integral with each other.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory, perspective view illustrating a shaft of a conventional door mirror. Reference character 10R designates a right-hand side shaft, and 10L denotes a left-hand side shaft. Each of these shafts 10R and 10L is provided with a stopper (including a folding-angle adjusting convex portion 12 and a set of neutral position locating convex portions 13a and 13b) disposed on a shaft base portion 11 in such a manner as to be integral with each other.
As is obvious from FIG. 6, each of the folding angle adjusting convex portion 12 and the neutral position locating convex portions 13a and 13b corresponding to one of the left-hand side shaft R and the right-hand side shaft L is disposed at a position differing in set angle from a position of a corresponding one of the portions 12, 13a, and 13b corresponding to the other shaft R or L. The neutral position locating convex portions 13a and 13b corresponding to each of the shafts R and L are respectively formed at a pair of positions (i.e., two positions), which are opposed to each other across the shaft. Further, a slope 13c is formed at two opposed places respectively set on side surface portions, which are angularly spaced at an angular interval of 180 degrees, of each of the convex portions.
As described above, the conventional door mirror shafts 10R and 10L are respectively formed on the mounting sides thereof separately from each other.
However, the folding angles of mirror bodies differ with the type of an automobile. Thus, it has been difficult to employ the shaft in common among automobiles of the types. Therefore, the shafts corresponding to each of the types of automobiles are manufactured. Consequently, the conventional door mirror has a drawback in that the productivity thereof is not increased.
Further, because the strength of the stopper is determined according to the material thereof, it is difficult to select the material of the shaft. That is, a load imposed on the stopper is large owing to a moment produced at the mounting position thereof. Hence, there is the necessity of preventing the stopper from being deformed or damaged. Consequently, it is difficult to form the stopper from a resin. Thus, usually, the stopper is formed from metal.
Recently, the inventor of the present invention has proposed a structure for restricting the rotation of a door mirror, which permits the use of a frame and a shaft in common even when the folding angle of a mirror body is changed (see Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 8-183392).
According to this background art invention, there is provided a door mirror adapted so that each of a left-hand side mirror body and a right-hand side body is folded in a frontward direction or a backward direction from an erected position by fixing a shaft base portion onto the top surface of a projection portion of a mirror base thereby to erect a shaft, and by restricting a turning angle of each of the left-hand side mirror body and the right-hand side mirror body, which rotate around the shaft, between the shaft and the corresponding mirror body. This door mirror has an elongated circularly arcuate hole formed in the shaft base portion disposed at a place that is away from a shaft center, a convex rotation restricting member erected in such a way as to penetrate through the elongated circularly arcuate hole of the shaft base portion from a bottom part of the projection portion, and a circularly arcuate guide groove formed in the bottom surface of a frame base portion in such a manner as to be engaged with an upper portion of the convex rotation restricting member. The upper portion, which is engaged in the circularly arcuate guide groove, of the convex rotation restricting member has a size corresponding to a folding angle of each of a left-hand side door mirror and a right-hand door mirror.
In the case of the door mirror according to the background art invention, when the door mirror is turned from the erected position until the rotation restricting member abuts against one of end portions of the circularly arcuate guide grooves, the door mirror is stopped at a restricting position for restricting a forward or backward folding operation. In this manner, restriction of a forward or backward folding operation is conducted by performing rotation restriction between the convex rotation restricting member, which is provided on the base in such a manner as to protrude therefrom, and the circularly arcuate guide groove provided in the bottom surface portion of the frame. Thus, even among different types of automobiles, the frame and the shaft can be used in common between the left-hand side door mirror and the right-hand side door mirror only by setting the size of the convex rotation restricting member formed on each of the bases of these mirrors at a size that corresponds to the folding angle of a corresponding one of the left-hand side door mirror and the right-hand side door mirror.
However, even in this door mirror of the background art invention, a load imposed on the stopper (that is, the concave rotation restricting member) during turning the mirror body is large. Thus, there is the need for taking the countermeasure of preventing the occurrences of deformation of and damage to the stopper.
In recent years, there has been tendency to have the base be made of resin. However, it is understood that when the convex rotation restricting member and the base are integrally formed, the stopper may be deformed or damaged by a collision with or the application of a shock thereto during turning of the door mirror, and thus, the stopper cannot perform essential functions. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the strength of the stopper.
The invention is accomplished in view of the aforementioned circumstances. An object of the invention is to provide a structure for employing a frame and a shaft in common among door mirrors, in each of which a stopper member for restricting a folding angle of a mirror body is integrally formed on the shaft of the mirror body, and to increase the strength of the stopper.
According to the invention, there is provided a door mirror, in which a shaft is erected on the top surface of a projection portion of a mirror base, and in which a frame for supporting a mirror body is turnably fitted onto the shaft, and in which a stopper member for restricting a turning angle by engaging with the frame is provided between the frame and the shaft. In this door mirror, the stopper member comprises a projection, which is formed on the shaft base portion in such a way as to be integral therewith, and an angle adjusting plate which is provided separately from the projection. Moreover, the adjusting plate having a thickness corresponding to a folding angle of the door mirror is attached to each or one of both the opposite side surfaces of the projection.
Incidentally, preferably, the adjusting plate may be fixed to one of the shaft and the mirror base, and placed on each or one of both the side surfaces of the projection.
The adjusting plate may be fixed to the projection by one of fixing means that include screwing, bonding, and fitting.
Further, the adjusting plates respectively attached to both the side surfaces of the projection in such a way as to sandwich the projection may be formed in such a way as to have thicknesses differing from each other.